Six-year-old boy becomes first ‘transgender’ child in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, September 30, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Manuel, now known as Lulu, has become the first ‘transgender’ child in Argentina to have his name and gender officially changed on his identity documents.

“The government for the Buenos Aires province has made the decision to solve this particular case brought up by the family,” said Alberto Pérez, the city’s Chief of Staff.

According to reports, this is the “first case in the world” of a child obtaining new identity documents through administrative paper work and without having to go to the courts.

The six-year-old boy’s mother, identified as Gabrielam, said to the press: “We are going to have a party”.

She told the media how she hugged her child when they knew he’d been granted new identity papers: “We won, you won! You’re going to have your new document!” she said to him.

César Cigliutii, from the Argentine Homosexual Community (AHC), which aided the child legally and psychologically, said this is an “historic” case.

Gabriela told the media how her son “wanted to have long hair. He would ask to wear my skirts and clothes.”

“I thought it was a game, until I saw a documentary on National Geographic about a transgender girl in the United States. It was my son’s story. That’s when I understood he was a trans girl, his identity was that of a girl,” she added.

“I told myself: if she wants to be a princess, I’m going to help her,” explained Gabriela.

The decision to give the child the right to change his name and gender on official documents was made after Gabriela wrote to Buenos Aires Governor Daniel Scioli and Argentina President Cristina Kirchner, telling them that Manuel had identified as a girl since he could first speak.

The National Ministry for Childhood referred to international treaties on children’s rights and determined that the child had a “progressive capacity” to give his consent and could therefore ‘benefit’ from the Gender Identity Law and have his identity changed.

The AHC insisted that the boy get a new identity document to avoid him the “embarrassment and humiliation” of, in the words of his mother: “going to the emergency room with a fever, and instead of focusing on what’s wrong, the doctors wonder why a boy is wearing pony tails and a skirt.”

The Argentine media have covered the story with headlines like: “Luana, the girl who was born with male genitalia”.

Pro-family associations and churches have not expressed any reactions.

Argentina passed a Gender Identity Law in May 2012, giving people the right to be identified by name and sex as defined by them.

The law also demands that the state provide the necessary medical treatments to “adjust the body, including the genitalia, to the self-perceived gender identity”.

Manuel, who has a twin brother, is attending a school that ‘respects’ his new identity. His parents have been divorced for several years and the father rarely visits.